


If I don't make it out of here

by sunnilee



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, SILVER LINING AMIRITE, bc this is a shiro centric fic, damn s2 trailer, honestly i tried catering to every shiro ship out there, i'm such a sucker for characters with death flags on their heads gg, implied relationships open for ur interpretation honestly, so honestly he never said "if i don't make it out of here ALIVE", so u kno, this is me hanging on to the fact that shiro never specified what "here" meant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 00:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7596994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnilee/pseuds/sunnilee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiro-centric: based on his opening words during the s2 trailer. 5 short chapters revolving around "If I don't make it out of here..."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i. If

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's ideology vs his living reality.

_i. If_

Shiro always tried to believe in the ideology of living life with no regrets. It was empowering to think about: stepping forward and never looking back on the past with disdain or shame… but how could he—no, how _dare_ he even think about living free of regret when Pidge glances his way and gives him that little grateful smile. When he remembers how he crippled Matt Holt to keep him safe. The only good thing he ever did _still_ involved someone getting hurt. What if he never attended the Garrison? What if he wasn’t the pilot of the Kerberos mission? What if he took his crew on a longer route? _If only_ he did. Maybe none of this would have happened.

Every time he felt the purple, glowing heat come from his Galran arm, he has to shove the wave of disgust and guilt down. _Way down_. Because he might have screwed up with his first crew, but he’d damn well rather _die_ before he let anyone from this crew down. Shiro would die long before he’d let that happen.


	2. ii. I don't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The PTSD story that never got told from my eyes. Nothing explicit is written, but please use your own caution.

_ii. I don’t_

Shiro’s mind was hazy. He shifted on the ground and groaned at the stiffness in his body. He’d lost track of time, since he knocked Matt to the ground and fought for his life in the arena. The Galrans had sneered at his victory and his new moniker, “The Champion.” One Galran in particular, _Haggar_ , sent him a scowl that sent chills down his spine. It wasn’t until the Robobeast of the day slashed him across the bridge of his nose, sending blood into his eyes, that he preferred that scowl to the _gleeful_ smile that lit up her eyes.

Shortly after getting slashed at, Shiro felt the Galran sword get wrenched away from him. He felt panic rise in his chest, but he pushed it down. _It’s not my time._ He let his blood run freely and he took to listening to the mechanical whirring of the Robobeast. He heard the Galran crowd’s screams grow with excitement as his eyes closed, but he heard the Robobeast’s arm shift and the sharp whistle of splitting air. _Left._ Shiro threw himself to the right and rolled away from the heavy crash he felt beneath his feet.  He opened his eyes. The blood hadn’t cleared away from them yet, but he could make out where the sword was. He made a lunge for it and thrust it up just as the Robobeast swung for his face again. It missed his face and pierced his right arm, but Shiro pierced it through its head. He let out a yell as he tore the sword out of the Robobeast and the metal arm bit deeper into his flesh. Distracted by the pain, he didn’t have time to dodge the jagged purple light that sliced toward him.

The last thing he remembered was the burning sensation that flooded his right arm. Shiro shot up. _My arm._ His sudden movement off set his balance and he brought his arms up to catch himself… but his right shoulder ended up digging into the wall and another surge of pain rushed through him. Shiro scrunched his brow and he felt his crusted blood flake off. He panted heavily. _What…? I don’t understand… I—_

“I see you’ve woken up, _Champion._ ” He froze.

“Why don’t you turn to face the one who will grant you a new arm?” _New arm…?_

The bright purple glow from Haggar’s magic gave him just enough light to look down. Bile rose to the back of his throat. _No, it can’t be, my arm—_

“Your arm was indeed a wonderful subject to study. I thought I had lost the sample entirely when I came to collect, but fortune was in my favor. Such strange pigmentation and anatomy… but I do think I’ve gotten the structure correctly.”

Shiro snapped and charged. Before he could take two steps, a purple haze surrounded him and his muscles froze. Haggar drifted closer and lifted his arm up in comparison to the new one. He blanched. _She brought it with her. She brought my arm with her. That’s my—_

“Do you not see the superiority of this new arm to weakened one? You should be thanking me!”

She tossed his arm, his _human_ arm, off to the side and Shiro let out a strangled cry. His shoulder throbbed and he felt Haggar’s magic twist his body toward her. As she brought the new, mechanical, _Galran_ arm closer, he started thrashing. “No! Stop, please! I don’t… I don’t want the arm! I don’t want it, I don’t—!”

Haggar shoved the arm port into his flesh and he felt the Galran technology shoot through his blood, through his body, through his mind. Haggar leaned in and pushed back the hair on his forehead. “You’re mine now, _Champion._ ”

He screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ofc this chapter ends up being the longest. bc all my fav characters suffer


	3. iii. Make it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's motivation comes back, but he needs a little motivating too.

_iii. Make it_

He felt his stomach drop when Princess Allura named him to pilot the Black Lion. Shiro had seen it coming, but that didn’t stop that little part of him from wanting to relinquish the responsibility of being a leader to someone else. He couldn’t even _begin_ to describe his relief when Allura introduced herself. She was a princess. She would call the shots. She would be in command and she—would put him in charge of the four teenagers that bickered for hours on end, over _nothing._

It took all of his willpower to keep his sigh in and his face in the carefully schooled mask of a leader. When he didn’t verbally answer, Allura silently implored him with her eyes. He looked back and he started making promises. He would make this work. He would make this team get along. He would make sure they got all the lions before Zarkon. He _will_ make Voltron.

His right hand twitched against his arm and his mind flashed purple and yellow. Allura was still looking at him, this time with concern. He closed his fist tightly and he sent his own plea.

_Make it better. Please._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit more lighthearted than the last one sorz


	4. iv. Out of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's luck has its limits too.

_iv. Out of_

He was out of time.  He’d forced all the other lions out of Voltron when he felt the burning in his blood. The same burning he felt whenever his charged up his arm. The same burning when that arm was forcefully connected to his body. His mind.

He had to get away from the rest of them. He couldn't be a part of Voltron. Not when Haggar had his will in her hands. He saw Keith’s red lion surge forward, Shiro shouted through the comms, “No! Stay away. It’s for the best.”

Keith sputtered, “For the best? I thought we were supposed to be _fighting_ the Galrans, not _giving in_! Fight it, Shiro!”

“I—“ The burning started behind his eyes and Shiro screamed. Keith started forward again when Allura’s voice sounded through the lions, quiet and broken. “No… Leave him.”

“What?!” The other four paladins stared at the princess' image with incredulity. Their voices started overlapping.

“Leave Shiro?”

“Are you crazy?”

“He’s our leader! We can’t just leave him behind!”

Allura’s voice rang out above all of them. “I can’t help him if you’re all captured!”

The paladins fell silent and only Shiro’s heavy breathing and groans sounded through the communication line. Then Keith’s voice came faintly. “We’re coming back for you.” Pidge, Lance, and Hunk agreed immediately. “Yeah.”

Shiro’s heart swelled. _Thank you. All of you._

He opened his eyes long just in time to see the calming blue of Allura’s wormhole. The burning in his body grew hotter and he wanted nothing more to jump through that hole with the rest of the lions. But he couldn’t. He wasn’t in control anymore. He was out of time, and out of luck. He felt his black lion getting beamed back to Zarkon’s ship and he felt his body jerk itself out of the cockpit. As his legs brought him forward and to his knees before Haggar…

He was out of hope too.

 

_Welcome home, Champion._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorz


	5. v. Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's home. Right?

_v. Here_

“You know, your hair matches mine now.”

Shiro’s eyes shot open and he tumbled away from the voice. His heart racing, he quickly scanned the room and powered up his arm. _Where am I? Where are the Galrans? Where’s Haggar—_

His eyes found her.

“Allura?”

She smiled gently and knelt beside him, holding her arms out. “Welcome home.”

His breath left him. _This isn’t… it’s not a dream right? I’m really in the castle? I’m really—_

The door to his room crashed down and the other four paladins raced in, Coran not far behind. Keith crashed into him first, knocking him into Allura. Pidge sidled right up to him, burying her face in his stomach. Lance wiggled his arms around Shiro’s torso, hugging him tightly. Hunk’s arms reached around all of them, bringing Coran into the huddle as well.

“You’re so stupid,” muttered Keith.

“Extremely stupid,” Pidge agreed.

“Beyond stupid,” Lance exasperated.

“Stupider than Lance,” Hunk said sagely.

Keith snorted and Lance burst from the group hug. “Take that back, mullet!”

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“You didn’t have to!”

“That doesn’t even make sense—“

As their bickering reached peak volume, the muscles in Shiro’s body finally fully relaxed.

 

_I’m definitely here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized, halfway through writing this chapter, that I could've taken a turn for the worse but u kno. as much as i love pain and suffering, i want space dad to live. pls.  
> he's my fave
> 
> hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> bc i love shirogane takashi and i am so attached that i wrote a fic starring space dad.


End file.
